Communities hit by hurricanes are being shown to be victims of these storms long after they have passed, proving that weathering the storm doesn't guarantee living to tell your children or grandchildren about it.
What's happening?
New research published in the journal Nature has found that hurricanes and tropical storms have long-term health consequences, causing 7,000-11,000 excess deaths apiece in the United States over the 15 years following the event, Axios reports.
The study includes all 501 tropical cyclones that affected the continental U.S. coastline between 1930 and 2015. It concluded by estimating changes in state death rates each month for the 20 years after each storm hit the country.
The study shows a higher excess death rate than the researchers expected, said Solomon Hsiang of Stanford University, a co-author of the study. These deaths are caused by the social and economic disruption left in the wake of these tropical storms.
Hsiang further said that the previous lack of research on long-term indirect deaths tied to storms has hidden their full health burden.
Why is this information important?
As worsening storms decimate communities, the study shows that long-term public health impacts are a concern long after direct deaths and damage are accounted for. Axios details that NOAA reported that the 501 storms studied caused an average of 24 direct deaths but many thousands more indirect ones.
Over the years studied, these 501 storms contributing to 7,000 or more deaths apiece on average led to millions of deaths combined in the U.S., more than car accidents and infectious diseases.
"This was challenging for us to absorb, like ourselves, because we were so surprised by the result," Hsiang told Axios, further stating that he and his co-author initially thought their results were wrong.
The information is extra concerning when you consider that as global temperatures continue to rise, hurricanes and other storms will get bigger and stronger. This means that the lasting effects will likely worsen as well, causing even more deaths and putting us all at risk.
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What can be done about these deaths?
Moving forward, the study's authors said there needs to be more long-term recovery planning and that resources must be allocated equally, as some of the demographics hit the hardest are those already more at-risk.
In the big picture, individuals must all take action, as human activity is the main cause of Earth's warming, which is causing these worsening storms.
Switching to an electric vehicle, moving away from single-use plastic, and upgrading your home are all starting places. Talking about these issues with friends and family can also go a long way. If one community is at risk, they are all at risk, so protecting them is key to a healthier, cleaner future for everyone.
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